City Island (Pennsylvania)

A panorama of Harrisburg, showing the northern end of City Island

City Island is a mile-long island in the Susquehanna River between Harrisburg and Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is used mainly for leisure and sports activities. Its previous names have included Turkey Island, Maclay's Island, Forster's Island and Hargast Island.

The island contains archaeological treasures of the Susquehannocks and the Iroquois tribes, who at one time established settlements here. During the initial development of Harrisburg, the island was only able to be reached by boat, until 1817 when the Camelback Bridge, site of the present-day Market Street Bridge, was completed.^[1]

In 1903, the Harrisburg Athletics professional baseball team arrived at the park, but the team later folded. By the 1980s, concerts were held in the old field that was leftover, such as Metallica (July 12, 1989) and Grateful Dead (June 22, 1983 and June 23, 1984). However, major bands slowly stopped coming to Harrisburg when the Amusement Tax was created in 1982.

The island is currently the site of Metro Bank Park, the home of the Harrisburg Senators minor baseball team and the Skyline Sports Complex. The Sports Complex is the home of the Harrisburg City Islanders USL Professional Division soccer team and the Central Penn Piranha, a semi-professional football team which belongs to the North American Football League. It is open year-round to the public, and provides a multi-purpose sports field, sand volleyball courts, and a fitness center.^[2]

The island also provides family-based amusements such as a miniature steam railroad, carousel, "Pride of the Susquehanna" paddlewheel riverboat,^[3] children's playground, batting cages, miniature golf, a riverside village and a concrete beach.^[2]

The island can be reached from either side of the Susquehanna River by Market Street Bridge or, from the Harrisburg side and by pedestrians and cyclists only, by Walnut Street Bridge.

Attractions

• Harrisburg Senators
• City Island Fun Arcade and Batting Cages

Canceled projects

City Island was the proposed location of:

• A CorridorOne regional rail station (removed from the project in 2006^[4]).
• The National Sports Hall of Fame (canceled in 2009^[5]).

References

1. ^ "City Island". http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=7098. Retrieved 2009-11-14. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Visiting Harrisburg: City parks at-a-glance". City of Harrisburg. http://www.harrisburgpa.gov/Visitor/parks-rec/City_Parks.html. Retrieved 2009-06-12. 
3. ^ "Pride of the Susquehanna". Harrisburg Area Riverboat Society, Inc.. http://www.harrisburgriverboat.com/. Retrieved 2009-06-12. 
4. ^ "Corridor One -- The Project". Capital Area Transit. http://www.corridorone.info/Project.html. Retrieved 2009-06-12. 
5. ^ Luciew, John (12 March 2009). "Reed to throw in towel on Sports Hall of Fame". Patriot-News. http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/03/reed_to_throw_in_towel_on_spor.html. Retrieved 2009-06-12. 

Coordinates: 40°15′18″N 76°53′17″W / 40.2550894°N 76.8880291°W / 40.2550894; -76.8880291